Improvement in machines for felting and hardening hat-bodies



PATENT Trice.

`JOHN T. EARLE, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

. IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR FELTING AND HARDENING HAT-BODIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 107,887, dated October 4, 1870.

I, JOHN T. EARLE, of Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Machines for Felting and Hardening Hat-Bodies, and other fabrics composed of fur or wool, or other `fibrous material which will felt, of which the followin g is a specification:

The first part 'of myinvention consists in the combination of a longitudinally-grooved or corrugated rotary cylinder with a iexiblel apron nearly surrounding the same, so constructed, arranged, and operated that the hatbodies or 'other articles to be felted or hard` cned will be carried` around as the cylinder 4the rotary cylinder that the pressure upon thehat-bodies or other articles being felted or hardened may be varied at the pleasure of the operator.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents a cross-section, and Fig. 2 a longitudiv nal section, of my invention.

A is a box to hold the hot water, and a a are the inclined side tables, upon which the hat-bodies are manipulated or crozed as they are from time totime taken from the machine. B is the grooved or corrugated cylinder, having its journal-bearings in posts b b at each end of the box A. C is a cross-bar over the rotating cylinder, from which the nexible apron is suspended by means of elastic straps d d. D is the flexible apron, composed of a series of slats, of wood or other suitable substance, attached to Athe-'flexible straps d d.

Each of said slatshas a longitudinal groove,

d', on its inner face. l

At each end of the rotating cylinder, and mounted loosely on the journals thereof, is a circular plate, f f, of half an inch greater diameter than the cylinder. These circular plates, being concentric with the cylinder, prevent any partof the latter from coming into actual contact with the iexible apron.

The cross-bar C has its bearings in slots s in the posts b b, and is held in position by two adjusting-screws, e e, bymeans of which it can be moved up and down in said slots, so as to vary the pressure between the rotating cylinder and the flexible apron.

It will be seen that the two ends ot' the tlexible apron do not meet around the rotating cylinder, so that an open space is left between them over the upper portion of said cylinder, into which the hat-bodies or other articles to be operated upon are placed, and from which they are taken when temporarily or finally removed from the action of the machine.

When a hat-body or other article to be operated'upon is placed in the machine through said open space, it is partially rolled by the operator, and so placed that the rolled por tion will be seized by the corrugations of the cylinder, and carried forward between said cylinder and the apron, by which it is speedily rolled into a cylindrical form, and will be carried round and round and through the water in the box until removed from the 1na chine. Y

Thevcylinder is revolved by any suitable power appliedto the wheel W, on one end of its shaft, by means of a band or any other suitable means.

At the end of the machine opposite to that at which the power is applied is placed a box containing hot water, and provided with a table for pinning out7 the hat-bodies after they have been removed from the machine; butas no claim is made to this part of the apparatus, it is notshown in the drawing.

This machine is equally applicable to hardening as well as felting hat-bodies; but when used for hardening there is to be no water in the box.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Vl. The combination of the rotating corrugated cylinder, the flexible slatted apron, and the elastic straps, suspending the apron around the cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the rotating corrugated cylinder, Iiexible slatted apron, and

elastic straps, the circular plates or fenders f their equivalents, to regulate the pressure bcf, at the ends of the cylinder, substantially as tween the cylinder and apron7 substantially as and for the purpose described. described.

3. In combination with the rotating corru- JOHN T. EARLE. gated cylinder, flexible slatted apron7 and Vitnesses: elastic straps, the movable bar, to which the J. J. COOMBs,

apron is suspended7 with adj Listing-screws, or C. L. COOMBs. 

